Washington March, 1963

What was the March on Washington in 1963?

The March on Washington was the largest political protest in US history to campaign for the civil and economic rights of African Americans. The full name of the event was the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

When did the March on Washington take place?

The March on Washington was on 28th August, 1963.

Who organised the March on Washington?

There were 5 main civil rights and religious groups involved with organising the March on Washington:

• ❖ NAACP.
• ❖ CORE.
• ❖ SCLC.
• ❖ American Jewish Congress.
• ❖ SNCC.

Who took part in the March on Washington?

Estimates put the number of people who took part in the March on Washington at between 250,000 and 500,000. Around 40,000 of them were white.

Why was the March on Washington organised?

There were 3 main reasons for the March on Washington:

• ❖ The civil rights movement wanted to build on the momentum created by Campaign C in Birmingham, Alabama.
• ❖ The KKK's opposition to the civil rights movement had grown so African Americans and civil right activists faced increasing danger.
• ❖ Despite President Kennedy publicly supporting civil rights and a civil rights bill, nothing had been passed by the government, so they wanted to increase pressure on the government to make changes.

What happened at the March on Washington?

There were 3 main events at the March on Washington:

• ❖ Black and white civil rights protesters from all over America travelled to Washington.
• ❖ The event was one of the first to be broadcast around the world.
• ❖ There were speeches and music, and Martin Luther King gave the closing speech called 'I have a dream'.

What happened as a result of the March on Washington?

The March on Washington had 5 main consequences:

• ❖ It widened the divide in the civil rights movement between those who non-violent protests and integration was the way forward and those who felt the aims were not radical enough. For example, Malcolm X called the march, 'the farce on Washington'.
• ❖ President Kennedy met with the key civil rights leaders and, after the march, gave greater support to passing a civil rights bill.
• ❖ However, no civil rights bill was passed until 1964.
• ❖ There was an increase in violent opposition to the civil rights movement. For example, a church was bombed in Birmingham 14 days after the march, resulting in the deaths of 4 black American girls.
• ❖ The civil rights movement received even more support.

Why was the March on Washington so important?

There were 4 main reasons why the March on Washington was important:

• ❖ It was the largest political protest in US history.
• ❖ It was a peaceful protest and was broadcast around the world. Famous high-profile people such as singer Bob Dylan and actor Marlon Brando were visibly involved.
• ❖ Martin Luther King's closing speech, 'I have a dream', confirmed his role as a civil rights leader and showed how important the issue had become.
• ❖ It brought huge publicity to the cause and was supported by many people, both black and white.